16 GuENON ON Milch Cows. 



The Progress of His System. 



With his mind keenly alive to the pursuit of his investigations, he soon 

 perceived the difference in the shape of these quirls or marks in the hair. 

 We can imagine how, when he saw any cow with the same escutcheon as 

 his own had, he would eagerly and closely question the owner, and then 

 make his comparisons and deductions. Then, again, when he would see 

 variations from his cow's escutcheon, whether larger or smaller, though of 

 similar shape, how he would study them over ! When he would ask of the 

 owner such questions, directed by his knowledge of the cow's marks, the 

 owner would stare, and think how the lad could know so well of his cow. 

 And then his secret exultation when the answers showed him that he had 

 judged aright 1 We can imagine this young enthusiast going on, from step 

 to step, filling up his leisure with his acquisitions of his new theory, which 

 was becoming fact, and growing into a system. 



From his first step of discovering the dandruff, its scarcity or abundance, 

 to his noticing the great diversity existing among cows as to the shape of 

 the bearded ears or quirls, and being convinced these shapes were the signs 

 by which to distinguish cows, and then to make sure that the same mark 

 might always be relied upon as a positive sign of the same perfection or 

 defect ; were all steps in the discovery that engrossed his whole mind. He 

 gave up his trade, traveled about, visiting cattle mai'kets, fairs, and stables. 

 Conversing and cross-questioning all whom he could ; fixing the results in 

 his mind, and getting the classification shaped out. He talked with farm- 

 ers, dealers, and veterinary men, ascertained their modes of judging of the 

 points of an animal, and found they were all by their own favorite signs 

 and marks. One looked to the udder, the horns, the hide, or the shape ; 

 others to the hair, the veins, or something else; but none judged by the 

 signs which he had found out. All were uncertain. The most the best 

 judges could do would be to guess rightly, perhaps, three times out of five, 

 but none could tell how long a cow woulil milk. Perfecting his judgment 

 he would visit the same places and the same cows several times in a 3'ear, 

 to see how nature was operating upon the animals, and their changes of 

 character in the different periods of gestation, their treatment and food. 



Of course, he soon began to put his theories to practical value, and he 

 dealt in cattle on his own account. This brought before him cattle from 

 Holland, Switzerland, Brittany, and other countries. This improved his 

 opportunities by proving to him that, no matter what country gave them 

 birth, all individuals possessing the same marks belonged to the same class 

 and the same orders ; in short, that nature acted through uniform laws. 



Imperfections and Tufts. 

 Variations would arise, from crossing two animals with different es- 

 cutcheons, from some defect in marking at the birth, from lack of develop- 

 ment, or from those freaks that nature sometimes plays. They always prove 

 stumbling-blocks in forming the judgment on some animals, and furnish 

 texts to the opponents of the system. 



